Usk Management Catchment Summary Contents

1. Background to the management catchment summary .................................................. 3
2. The Usk Management Catchment .............................................................................. 4
3. Current Status of the water environment ................................................................... 7
4. The main challenges .................................................................................................... 10
5. Objectives and measures ............................................................................................ 13
6. Water Watch Wales .................................................................................................... 20
7. Background to the management catchment summary

This management catchment summary supports the updated River Basin Management Plans (RBMP). Along with detailed information on the Water Watch Wales (WWW) website, this summary will help to inform and support delivery of local environmental improvements to our groundwater, rivers, lakes, estuaries and coasts. Information on WWW can be found in Section 6.

Natural Resources Wales has adopted the ecosystem approach from catchment to coast. This means being more joined up in how we manage the environment and its natural resources to deliver economic, social and environmental benefits for a healthier, more resilient Wales. It means considering the environment as a whole, so that all those with an interest in the catchment weigh up the evidence and set priorities for the many competing demands on our natural resources in a more integrated way and achieve our shared ambition for the place.

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) provides a major overarching framework for river basin management. The Floods Directive sets out a strategic approach to flood risk management planning. An updated Flood Risk Management Plan (FRMP) has been produced in parallel to the updated Severn RBMP. The FRMP details how we propose to manage flood risk across the river basin district by prioritising those communities that are most at risk of flooding and detailing the measures we intend to take to manage their risk. The FRMP and the RBMP together will shape important decisions, direct investment and action, and deliver significant benefits to society and the environment.

The Severn River Basin Management Plan is led by the Environment Agency and is published on their website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/river-basin-management-plans-2015. 2. The Usk Management Catchment

The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain and flows in a long narrow catchment of great scenic beauty for approximately 125km south easterly through the towns of Brecon, Crickhowell, Abergavenny and Usk, before discharging to the Usk estuary at Newbridge and then to the Severn estuary at Newport. The catchment includes the Gwent Levels to the south; a large area of reclaimed coastal grasslands of historical and nature conservation importance. Tourism is important to the local economy, with the Brecon Beacons National Park and the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal attracting visitors in search of outdoor recreation. The Usk management catchment is rich in wildlife, including three species of lamprey and bullhead and a variety of habitats. This high ecological value is recognised through national and international designations.

Land is predominantly used for agriculture, with sheep farming in the northern and western uplands, and beef, dairy, mixed and arable farming in the lowlands of the south and east. As a result, pollution from rural sources is a major threat to the quality of wildlife and plants living in the water environment. There is some limited industry in the major towns, and Newport has a commercial port. Pollution from sewage and contaminated run-off is a pressure in the urban areas.

The headwaters and some of its tributaries are modified by dams to create the Usk, Crai, Talybont and Grwyne Fawr reservoirs. At Brecon some of the river's flow is diverted to feed the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal and water from the lower River Usk is pumped to Llandegfedd water storage reservoir. On the Gwent Levels flows are regulated. Water is taken from rivers and underground sources to use in agriculture, industry, hydropower and fish farms. It is necessary to continue work with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water and others to minimise the impact on the natural environment caused by the physical modifications and abstraction, while securing this valuable resource and maintaining flow levels.

The Usk is a high quality river for fisheries, supporting salmon, an internationally important population of twaite shad, lamprey, bullhead and brown trout. The river has a largely natural flow, however barriers at Trostrey (a gauging weir), Llanfoist and Crickhowell (bridge footings) and Brecon (a weir supporting the canal abstraction) all restrict the upstream distribution of shad and sea lamprey. Barriers in some tributaries and the reservoir dams also restrict fish distribution and prevent access to suitable habitat. Natural Resources Wales, local authorities, the Canal and Rivers Trust and others will need to take action as part of a prioritised programme.

Priorities for this catchment to achieve healthy waters are to improve the special habitats by reducing the impact of rural pollution; reducing the impact of physical modifications and abstraction while securing water supplies.

The Usk management catchment summary does not include information on neighbouring coastal or estuarine waters as these are included within the Severn River Basin Management Plan.

During December 2013 an Usk management catchment workshop was held at the Newport Wetlands visitor centre. During this event the benefits of the catchment were captured. These included;

- Biodiversity – of the river and wetlands. Importance shown by designations such as the riverine Special Area of Conservation, Gwent levels SSSI, Biodiversity Action Plan species e.g. Otter and Shad.
- Food production.
- Recreation & Tourism – canoeing, fisheries, walking, boating, camping, cycling, Brecon Beacons National Park.
- Renewable energy – hydropower.
- Water as a resource for drinking, irrigation and navigation.
- Woodlands - both as a resource and for their own ecological importance.

Natural Resources Wales continues to work in partnership with a range of partners and sectors in innovative ways so that we can achieve even more together. A flavour of some of the projects within this management catchment is provided in Table 1.

For further information on projects please refer to WWW.

Table 1. Examples of projects in the management catchment.

| Project Name | Project Description | Partners | |-------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------| | Monmouthshire Olway & Trothy Project | Riparian restoration project including tree work, pleaching of woody material into the channel to improve habitat for fish and invertebrates plus single bank fencing. | Wye & Usk Foundation | | Project Name | Project Description | Partners | |--------------|---------------------|----------| | Living Levels | A project in development on the Gwent levels which aims to improve landscape connectivity, land management, restore wetland habitats & develop recreation opportunities with benefits for local communities, WFD and biodiversity. | RSPB, Gwent Wildlife Trust, Internal Drainage Board, local landowners, community |

**Case study – River Olway Project**

The Olway was identified as having a moderate classification under the Water Framework Directive because of low densities of fish and elevated Phosphate. Along this stretch cattle access to the river contributed to poaching and increased sedimentation. By providing controlled stock access to keep the cattle to a defined area and reducing time spent in the river the project aimed to fence along identified sections, add crossing points, drinking bays and swing gates. The project also included fencing, coppicing, installing bank revetments and planting willows.

Since the instalment of the habitat schemes the river bank has had an opportunity to naturally regenerate reducing the likelihood of bank erosion during high flows and helping reduce sedimentation which will keep more of the river’s gravel beds free of sediment and available to spawning fish and therefore increasing the chances for spawning success. 2.1 Key facts We use the term water bodies to help understand and manage the water environment. A water body is part, or the whole, of a river, lake, ground water or coastal water. The number and type of water bodies in the management catchment is shown in the table below.

Table 2. Number and type of water bodies.

| Number of water bodies | Natural | Artificial | Heavily Modified | Total | |------------------------|---------|------------|------------------|-------| | River\* | 37 | 4 (1 canal)| 4 | 45 | | Lake | 0 | 0 | 12 | 12 | | Coastal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Estuarine | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | Groundwater | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | | Total | 40 | 4 | 17 | 61 |

\*River water bodies includes canals and surface water transfers

There are areas in the catchment where the water environment is recognised as being of particular importance, including rare wildlife habitats, bathing waters or areas around drinking water sources. These areas are known collectively as protected areas and are detailed in the table below.

Table 3. Number and type of protected areas.

| Protected Area | Number | |---------------------------------------|--------| | Bathing Waters | 0 | | Drinking Water Protected Areas | 27 | | Natura 2000 and Ramsar sites | 9 | | Nitrate Vulnerable Zones | 3161ha | | Shellfish Waters | 0 | | Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive - Sensitive areas | 0 |

3. Current Status of the water environment We assess the condition of water bodies through monitoring which produces a classification. The current status for each water body is shown in figure 2. Note, since 2009, we have updated some of the systems we use to classify water bodies, including changes to some standards and water body boundaries.

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1 There are differences in water bodies and protected area numbers compared to the first cycle plans and draft second cycle plans. This is due to changes in the water body network as well as refinement of the mapping methodologies and rules between water bodies, management catchments and protected areas. Within this management catchment 33% of surface water bodies are at good overall classification status, 59% at moderate and 9% at poor overall status. There are no water bodies at high or bad overall status. Figure 2. The current status of the Usk Management Catchment (2015 classification). 4. The main challenges We have carried out a series of investigations to confirm failures and the reasons driving them. This has included 14 river walks to assess the situation on the ground in more detail. The reasons for not achieving good status are listed under the Surface Water Management Issues (SWMI) in line with the updated RBMP. The graph below shows the number of water bodies listed under each SWMI to give an indication of the main issues in the management catchment, each water body may have more than one reason for not achieving good status.

Figure 3. Reasons for not achieving good status in the Usk Management

In the upper Usk catchment above Brecon there are some modifications for reservoirs but no evidence of marked ecological impacts. In the past there have been a number of pollution incidents (Tarrell), however there is little evidence of impact.

Between Brecon and Abergavenny there are pressures from:

- Abstraction (Crawnon – Mon Brec canal off take)
- Habitat that could be improved
- Barriers to migration (Mon-Brec canal bridges)
- Urban Misconnections (these are listed under the ‘pollution from sewage and waste water’ category in the graph above)

Below Abergavenny issues are largely around rural land management – so diffuse pollution, but also some misconnections in the Nedern. 4.1 Feedback on challenges We need to work together to ensure the overall aims of the Water Framework Directive are met and to agree on the priority issues and solutions. The following is a list of some of the challenges that were raised as part of the catchment workshop and the RBMP consultation, however it is not a full list.

- Barriers to fish migration
- Diffuse pollution from agriculture and rural land management in general
- Diffuse pollution from urban areas, misconnections, development pressure
- Flooding
- INNS (Invasive Non Native Species) e.g. Mink, Himalayan Balsam, Giant Hogweed, Japanese Knotweed, Signal Crayfish
- Lack of habitat connectivity
- Lack of education & advice on a range of issues
- Potential for conflict between various users / beneficiaries
- Water levels – ensuring adequate flow and active river processes. Pressure from abstraction
- Decline in aquatic habitats and species Case study – River Usk Giant Hogweed Project

Giant Hogweed is an invasive plant and is extensively distributed on the lower River Usk which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and part of the River Usk Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The plant is mainly found from the Crickhowell area to the tidal limit at Newbridge-on-Usk.

It has a damaging effect on the native habitat, suppressing the growth of native plants and leaving banks bare of vegetation and susceptible to erosion. It reduces the recreational value of the land and stops walkers and fishermen from accessing some areas. The sap from the plant can cause severe blisters, which are sensitive to sunlight, prompting public health concerns.

Partners include Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, Keep Wales Tidy, Monmouthshire County Council, The National Trust and the Wye and Usk Foundation. Officers from these organisations provide time to this project and a number of volunteers have also been trained up and provide valuable input to the control work.

Control work (mainly involving herbicide treatment) on the ground started in the spring of 2006 with efforts centred on the Crickhowell and Abergavenny areas. The aim is to stop the seed production at the upper extent of the infestation and prevent the seeds entering the river and spreading the problem downstream. Five spray teams are working on the project from Environment Agency Wales (now Natural Resources Wales), Keep Wales Tidy, Monmouthshire County Council, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, the National Trust and the Wye and Usk Foundation.

Extensive control work has continued in the growing season along the river between Crickhowell and Newbridge-on-Usk since 2006. A number of Forum events have been organised periodically to update and involve local riparian owners and river users on the progress of the project. The project has been widely reported by BBC TV and radio and ITV in Wales. 5. Objectives and measures

This section outlines what we are aiming to achieve and the measures that need to be put in place. We aim to develop a single integrated programme of measures by 2021 that meets Water Framework Directive objectives, including:

- **Prevent deterioration in status** Water body status will not be allowed to deteriorate from the current reported status.

- **Achieve the objectives for protected areas** Achieve the standards set by the relevant directive under which they were designated. For water dependent Natura 2000 sites we will aim to achieve conservation objectives, achieving good status by 2021 is a milestone towards this objective.

- **Aim to achieve good overall status for surface and ground waters** Implement measures to achieve good overall status where they are technically feasible and not disproportionately costly.

5.1 Measures

We have reviewed the reasons why water bodies are failing to achieve objectives and identified required measures. Measures are divided into two groups:

**National measures** apply to the whole of Wales, or the United Kingdom. In general these set the legislative, policy or strategic approach. Examples include a national ban on using a particular chemical or a national strategy for prioritising and funding the remediation of abandoned mines. A list of planned national measures is available in the updated RBMP and Water Watch Wales.

**Local measures** are specific to the river basin district or a part of it. For example, the removal of invasive plants along a length of designated river or a local campaign targeting misconnections across an industrial estate. Many of the actions listed will also have multiple benefits. For example, sustainable urban drainage (SuDs) schemes help to reduce urban pollution, sewage pollution and changes to water levels. The table below summarises the types of local measures required for the management catchment, based on RNAG and protected area requirements. It includes actions from the N2K Actions database that will help the SAC/SPA/Ramsar to achieve favourable conservation status for water dependant features; for example: implementation of appropriate coastal management.

The high level categories describe the types of action required and broadly the options that are available, including voluntary and regulatory measures. At the local scale some of the options described might not be considered appropriate. There is overlap between some categories. The table also shows the number of water bodies that require the measure type, the water body numbers in this table should be used as a guide to show the significance of the issue in the catchment, and these numbers will change through the course of the 6 year programme. Up to date Reasons for Not Achieving Good (RNAGs) data is available on WWW and should be referred to before scoping local measures.

**Table 4. Summary of required local measures in the management catchment.**

| Measure | Description | No. of water bodies | |--------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------| | Address air pollution | Emissions controls to reduce nitrogen and acidic deposition. | 9 | | Complete first cycle investigation | All ongoing WFD investigations from first cycle programme. | 12 | | Measure | Description | No. of water bodies | |----------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------| | Drainage and water level management | Investigate and implement changes to land drainage regimes and structures to restore water levels. | 5 | | Improve fish passage and habitat | Remove or modify barriers to fish passage | 35 | | Improve flows and water levels | Reduce impacts of regulated flows and abstractions, restore more natural flow regimes, implement options to improve water levels, such as water efficiency and recycling measures, alternative sources and supplies. | 33 | | Manage invasive non-native species | Eradication and/or management of invasive non-native species in line with current national invasive species Action Plans. Includes biosecurity good practice, such as "CHECK-CLEAN-DRY" and Be Plant Wise. | 34 | | Mine water and contaminated land remediation | Coal and metal mine, and contaminated land remediation - including passive and active mine water treatment, capping of spoil, removal of wastes to landfill, and channel diversion | 3 | | Mitigate impacts of flood and coastal defences | Reduce impacts of flood defence structures and operations - improve connectivity, habitat, and morphology by implementing options through capital and maintenance programmes, such as soft engineering, opening culverts, upgrading tidal flaps, changing dredging and vegetation management. Includes the national habitat creation programme to address coastal squeeze. | 34 | | Mitigate impacts of water resource impoundments | Assess and implement options for improving fish passage and habitat. | 7 | | New Investigation | Includes investigations for all new failures, deterioration, and drinking water protected areas. | 34 | | Reduce impacts of other physical modifications | Improve connectivity, habitat and morphology through soft engineering and restoration techniques. | 5 | | Reduce pollution from other waste water discharges | Reduce pollution from other (non-sewage) point sources, both regulated and unregulated. Investigate and implement basic pollution prevention measures, including provision of up to date advice and guidance, such as correct handling and storage of chemicals and waste, management of trade effluent, and regulation. | 9 | | Sustainable access and recreation management | Reduce the impacts of erosion, disturbance and damage from both water-based and terrestrial access, including tackling illegal off-roading. | 32 | | Measure | Description | No. of water bodies | |----------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------| | Sustainable agricultural practices | Implement basic and additional measures such as correct management of slurry, silage, fuel oil, and agricultural chemicals; clean and dirty water separation; nutrient management planning; buffer strips and riparian fencing; cover crops and soil management. In N2k sites changes to grazing regimes may be required, includes scrub management. Within NVZs comply with storage and spreading regulations. | 41 | | Sustainable woodland and forestry management | Restore the riparian zone, disconnect forest drains, monitor the effectiveness of the 5 principle risks associated with forestry and use forestry and woodland to reduce diffuse pollution. | 32 | | Tackle misconnections and urban diffuse pollution | Investigate and solve misconnections to surface water drains (at residential and commercial properties) and implement sustainable drainage schemes (SuDs) to reduce diffuse pollution. | 3 | | Waste management | Includes appropriate management of spoil and sludge, illegal fly-tipping and litter. | 34 |

Details for specific local measures can be found on [WWW](http://www.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk), some examples of actions that are already under way include:

- Urban / Misconnections; fixing and awareness raising; Partners Dwr Cymru Welsh Water & Local Authorities; Nedern Brook, Monks Ditch, Gavenny.

- Natural Resources Wales agricultural site visits. Reens and Olway. Catchment Initiative also ran on the Olway in the 1st cycle, soil sampling, analysis and advice for farmers. Working with various partners; LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), Young Farmers Club, Dairy Development Centre, FWAG (Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group), The Machinery Ring (PMR).

- The Wye and Usk Foundation have carried out barrier removal and habitat improvement in multiple water bodies. 5.2 Feedback on priorities and solutions Concerns on current status raised through the consultation and at the workshop have been highlighted in Section 4, solutions and priorities were also discussed. Of the issues raised the following were flagged as priorities:

- **Diffuse pollution from agriculture and rural land management in general.** **Proposed Solutions:** NRW regulation, partner organisation measures, policy measures.

- **INNS (Invasive Non Native Species)** **Proposed Solutions:** Better coordination and drawing on a wide range of partner organisations and local communities.

- **Lack of education & advice on a range of issues.** **Proposed Solutions:** Education of children to reach adults. Better education / information for the various interest groups.

- **Water levels – adequate flow and active river processes. Pressure from abstraction.** **Proposed Solutions:** Continuation of existing partnership.

- **Diffuse pollution from urban areas, misconnections, development pressure.** **Proposed Solutions:** Relevant organisations working in partnership, proper assessment of planning applications and Local Development Plan obligations

- **Decline in aquatic habitats and species** **Proposed solutions included:** restoration of peat bogs and ditch blocking to hold back the water, riparian habitat restoration to act as buffer strip from land runoff and help prevent erosion.

5.3 Target areas for 2015-21 We have worked across Natural Resources Wales to develop an affordable programme of local and national measures, based upon our current understanding of existing resources. Our focus is:

- Preventing deterioration in all water bodies
- Within the Welsh part of the Severn RBD - improving compliance with good overall status in 17 water bodies that are currently moderate, improving 12 poor water bodies to moderate, and also improving 1 water body from bad to poor overall status.
- Targeting measures locally in an integrated way to deliver environmental improvements in WFD water bodies and Protected Areas, including areas protected for water habitats and species.
- Identifying where element level improvements will be achieved during the second cycle, but where further measures will be required to deliver an overall ecological status change.
- Developing our approach to natural resource management by working at a local catchment level and capturing the wider benefits delivered through WFD. The summary provided below is not comprehensive, it provides a snapshot of the information currently available, and will be updated periodically – please refer to WWW for further information.

Table 5. Water bodies in the Usk management catchment that NRW will target to achieve an improvement in status by 2021

| Water body ID | Name | Target status | Details | |---------------|-------------------------------------------|---------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| | GB109056032920| Olway Bk - source to conf Nant y Wilcae | Good by 2021 | For further information on the target water bodies please refer to WWW | | GB109056032950| Nant Onnau - source to conf R Usk | | | | GB109056032990| Gavenny - source to confluence R Usk | | | | GB109056033000| Caerfanell - source to conf R Usk | | | | GB109056026880| Nedern Bk - source to R Severn Estuary | Moderate by 2021| |

Investigations programme All water bodies for which the cause of adverse impact is as yet unknown require investigation. This applies in the case of both failing water bodies and those that have deteriorated over the first cycle.

Natura 2000 programme – actions underway/planned The RBMP programme of measures must include any measures necessary to achieve compliance with standards and objectives for Natura 2000 (N2K) sites listed in the register of protected areas.

There are no priority actions for N2K sites within the Usk Management Catchment that are planned or underway however we have identified 8 priority actions which can be taken forward when opportunities arise. Further information on the Prioritised Improvement Plans (PIP) measures and required action information can be obtained by contacting NRW: enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk.

The number of planned actions is low partly because it is difficult to assess what might be funded beyond 2015/16. Our ambition for the second cycle will develop as opportunities/resources become available.

We have also worked with stakeholders to develop and plan a number of strategic actions to support delivery of N2K objectives. These are included within the updated Programme of Measures.

Flood Risk Management Plan Measures Further information on local measures is available in the catchment summary section of the updated FRMP. Know Your River – Salmon and Sea Trout Catchment Plan NRW collects a range of specific salmonid data for management purposes and this is presented in the local Salmon and Sea Trout Catchment Summaries. Salmonid specific tools, measures and data acquisition such as electrofishing results, declared catches and annual salmon egg deposition estimates are used to guide ongoing investment in fish passage and habitat restoration schemes. The summaries are updated annually and ensure that there is effective prioritisation in waterbodies to improve salmonid fisheries. The planned actions are always delivered in association with partners and contribute to enhancement and protection of this valuable resource in Wales. Further information can be obtained by contacting NRW: enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

Water company programme Within the 2015 RBMP; there are a number of measures required of Water Companies. A funding allocation for these measures was included in company business plans submitted to Ofwat for the 2015-20 period. Natural Resources Wales and the Environment Agency will publish a revised National Environment Plan detailing all water company measures in early 2016. The National Environment Programme details improvements required to comply with all water quality legislation. An outline of the measures included within this management catchment can be found in the table below, further information can be found on the WWW website.

Table 7. Water company investigations and improvement schemes

| Water body ID | Name | Outcome | |---------------|------|---------| | GB109056039960 | Grwyne-Fechan - source to conf Grwyne Fawr | No deterioration scheme | | GB109056033090 | R Clydach - source to conf R Usk | Improvement schemes | | GB109056032930 | Nant y Wilcae - source to conf Olway Bk | | | GB109056026850 | Monks Ditch - source to Wainbridge | | | GB109056026880 | Nedern Bk - source to R Severn Estuary | | | GB109056032911, GB109056032912 | Afon Lwyd - below Mon and Brecon Canal | Investigation to be carried out, where water company assets contribute to reasons for not achieving good status | | GB109056032930, GB109056026940 | Nant y Wilcae and Olway Bk | | | GB109056033090 | Clydach - source to conf R Usk | | | GB109056032990 | R Gavenny - source to conflence R Usk | | | GB109056032940 | Clawdd Bk - source to conf R Usk | | 5.4 Alternative objectives We have identified 18% of water bodies where because of the nature of the problem or the required measures we have an extended deadline or less stringent objective (less than good). In each case we have provided a justification.

Table 8. Alternative objectives and justifications

| Alternative objective | Justifications | Number of water bodies | Water body | |-----------------------|---------------------------------|------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Extended deadline | Cause of adverse impact unknown | 11 | Pantyreos Bk - source to Barrack Hill | | | | | Mill Reen - source to R Severn Estuary | | | | | Afon Lwyd - source to Mon and Brecon Canal | | | | | Cray Reservoir | | | | | Talybont Reservoir | | | | | Cairn Mound Reservoir | | | | | Blaen-y-cwm Reservoir | | | | | Llandegfedd Reservoir | | | | | Wentwood Reservoir | | | | | Pant-yr-eos Reservoir | | | | | Ynysyfro Reservoir |

5.5 Opportunities for partnerships There are several external funding opportunities, which could support projects that contribute towards Water Framework Directive outcomes. Each fund has its own priorities, budgetary allocation and application process. Types of funding for consideration include:

- European funds – The EU provides funding from a broad range of programmes– go to the Welsh European Funding Office website for more information.
- Lottery funding – such as Heritage Lottery Fund, Postcode Lottery and BIG Lottery Fund which have a range of programmes from £5000 up to £millions.
- Charities, trusts & foundations – there are many of these operating and they often have a specific focus – either geographically or topically and will support local charities and projects.
- Businesses and sponsorship opportunities – including making the most of the Welsh carrier bag charge!
- Public bodies – local authorities, Welsh Government, UK Government and NRW may have annual funding opportunities or one-off competitions for their priority areas.
- Crowd funding – gathering support from a wide range and number of funders, often including individuals and usually using the internet to raise awareness for a specific project needing funds.
- Trading – increasingly funders are looking to support organisations with longer term sustainability in mind so developing trading opportunities can be something to consider too.
- Brecon Beacons Sustainable Development Fund - support for economic, environmental, community & cultural projects in BBNP which improve the quality of life for local communities. Your local County Voluntary Council and Wales Council for Voluntary Action will have up to date information on opportunities such as these as well as a host of other support available.

6. Water Watch Wales During the implementation phase of the 2009 RBMP many of our partners and stakeholders requested access to data and information to assist them in helping to deliver local environmental improvements. Many stakeholders felt that the first plan was difficult to navigate and access information at a local scale. Consequently with both the support and input from the river basin district liaison panels a web based tool has been developed called Water Watch Wales (WWW). This is an interactive spatial web-based tool that provides supporting information and data layers.

We will continue to develop this tool and see it as a critical link between the more strategic river basin management plan and local delivery. It enables the user to access information on:

- classification data at the water body scale
- reasons for not achieving good status
- objectives
- measures/actions, including protected area information
- partnership projects

Data can be retrieved in a number of formats (spreadsheets and summary reports). A user guide together with frequently asked questions is included with the tool and can be accessed from a link on the home page.

Link to home page: waterwatchwales.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk